New engine mounts
 

Howdy all, I decided to do a little experimenting. I had these polyurethane leaf spring bushings laying around my garage and I am going to try them out as engine mounts. In the picture I have the old ones and the new one that I made to fit. Will they hold up?

Experience watching others here try everything under the sun: NO.
Your idea isn't new. It's been tried.... and tried..... and tried, but countless others.

Why does everyone make such a big deal about the QL's and the rubber bushings??? Every other Cub Cadet series ever made, save a couple models in various series (all Kubota engines, '82 series with single cylinders) all were mounted solid. No one ever complains and whines about the other million machines with solid mounted motors shaking and rattling. I don't understand why no one will just buy solid mounts from JeffinPA and be DONE with it. Simple. Fixed. Corrected. No playing around. No messing. DONE.

NOTE:
The '82 series with rubber mounted motors used a different set up. I don't know why but it works so much better. I have a 1050 with the rubber mounted motor.... mounts to my knowledge are original, and it doesn't move around at all. Actually, they were mounted pretty solid.

I did the cradle mod and put solid mountain and forget it! Problems solved! Like Jon said the 1050 and my 1211 use rubber mounts, but different set up and have no problems. Maybe because it's on a riser vs rails. I have the solid mounts on my 1200 and love them! I got them from Jeff, his work is top notch and the mounts are worth every penny! Your machine you can do what you want, just trying to save you some money and headache.

In my experience(s), it doesn't matter much if the 10 hp has solid or rubber mounts. The 12 hp needs rubber a little more so. The 14/16 hp engines will vibrate pretty bad without the rubber. That's in a QL tractor. I've known the rubber mounts to last a long time in a 10 hp tractor. Maybe only 5-6 years with the bigger engines.

I don't know if the engines I've had experience with had balance gears in them or not. Never looked.

That said, I doubt if you'll get ANY vibration dampening out of the polyurethene mounts.

They don't need the rubber mounts, they work fine with the solid ones. I don't know where you all get they vibrate so bad, I've ran a k321 in a quietline and a k301 nether vibrated much at all. do what you want, keep throwing money in the rubber mounts and replacing them and breaking stuff.

I switched to ALL Cylops tractors about twenty years ago and I never have any problems with vibrations, shaking, motor mounts, worn parts or much of anything.

:biggrin2:

Amen brother! Last Cub I owned with the rubber mounts was a 1210. I repowered it with the drive line from a 1440 and a 16HP Vanguard out of a 2160. Only stupid thing I did was to sell it. :bash2:

Polyurethane bushing is hard, you get the same result as using solid mounts. No magical recipes here! Some like it solid, some like me use ISO and crankshaft counterweigh to damper the 6.0 Richter scale earthquake a K series can produce at idle. Each one his way and lucky you if like me you have a lathe... Amen!:biggrin2: